'In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.' (Robert Frost)

zaterdag 8 december 2012

So you think you are funny? Call again!

There are these very funny moments that you are about to laugh very loudly because of a joke a good mate of you tells you while you are having a drink after a long week at the office... or there is this moment that you just start to laugh spontanously because you suddenly remember something very funny. Bet that also many of you have seen some of these 'funny' youTube clips that are tapped 'by coincidence' and turn out to be hilarious and cause many global smiles. Then there are these moments that you end up in rather hilarious situations and that the only thing you can do is laugh.... A laugh turns out to be a very powerful weapon in some situations. In some cases you manage to laugh things away. Laughing is also told to have positive health side effects and causes you to end up less wrinkled. So in many ways laughing is for sure fun...

The thing is that what I consider funny you might not think funny at all. P&I differ quite a lot when it comes down to humor. Luckily this does not cause relationship problems because he loves the 'Green Wing' as much as I do. No, I respect my partner his opinion in many things and also in laughing matters and then there are these moments that we both do not see the 'funny' ingredient in certain 'humorous' situations.

Yes, I admit it here openly I did smile a bit when I read in the morning newspaper that Princess Kate was admited to hospital with 'Hypermesis Gravidarum' or in less Harry Potter sounding language she is under the spell of morning sickness. While reading this I that many women would laugh at this news because many mums to be manage to stay out of hospital while suffering of this. Some people even made openly funny comments about it.

At the same time I had flashbacks of some of my colleagues who suddenly run out classes and the only aim they had was the bowl. The relief on their faces I got see after that visit made me smile but I knew they felt rather awful. Being pregnant is such a ball! Most women just try to make the best out of this morning sickness and keep in mind that it will pass once their pregnancy gevorderd. Once you have got your baby in your arms you do forget about all these times you had to have always a bucket close by. You will even be able to have some laughs about it.

Still, one look at Royal Kate and you just know that this lady is rather delicate. Yes, being pregnant can be so much fun but your body has a will of its own and your body undergoes major changes. Do I need to elaborate on this subject because I do think that many of you know what I am after. It is not just because this is a Royal baby in the making that we suddenly become all experts on pregnancies. Or do we? Nope but many of us suddenly want to find out every detail about the Royal in the making. Journalists suddenly consider this pregnancy as public

So then when last night I read that the private nurse who took care of Royal Kate was found dead in her apartment I did not laugh. Total silence filled up our living room. Disbelief even for a second. Our press was very fast by telling us what the cause of death was: suicide. What had I missed? Because appearantly this dedicated nurse had done something that had made her do this. When I read what was the story behind all of this I did come across words like joke, prank and hoax.

Surely this isn't funny but that nurse did end up becoming the laughing stock of many. The media is now trying to explain why this happened. Well, honestly for once I do not get the joke... I realy don't and perhaps we will never find out what went on in that hospital once that the mangement found out what happened. Not that I wish to know. I consider that internal affairs and yes, we may now wonder if there is no code of conduct in many places when VIPs are involved. Blah blah blah blah...

Sorry for that blah blah blah but this is exactly the point that I wish to make here. I am all for free press but there are limits in my head when it comes down to this. Lately journalism seems to be after a certain entertainment content. Yes, I like my breakfast show presentators who can pull it of to make phonecalls to our Prime minister before he has put on his hallmark red bow tie. I do smile when they manage to get performing artists or sport personalities on the line to ask them how they are doing after a good show or victory.

All of this while these humans are still digesting their morning muesli or power bar. I can tell you that the voice of Kim Clijsters in the morning does not sound that crispy as when she used to take on journalists after being defeated in the 3rd round at the Olympics. It is during these interviews that we find out tha they are only human! But a good radio show is in my honest opinion also one that respects the privacy of the people or at least to a certain extend.

I wonder what these radio presentators tried to proof. What were they after when they came up with that 'joke'? Were they aware of the consequences of their prank? Now, please do not start me on the fact that journalists have got the task to go after a story and find out the truth. That is in this case not the issue. I wonder if Mel & Michael ever tried to call the White House pretending to be Osama Bin Laden? More importantly is what I wonder journalists learn of this...

Many of us will jump into action and not only the management of that one specific hospital... nope believe me that many hospital and other care giving institutions will suddenly be triggered by this news. Phone protocols will be revised and many of us will find out sooner or later that finding out information about our loved ones once they end up in hospitals close or abroad won't be that 'easy' anymore.

We here at home wondered if these people had still some 'scrupules' when they were doing their job. A word that matters greatly when you deal with humanity in general. None of us like to be made fun at openly or becoming the laughing stock of the nation. Especially if you think you are doing a decent job. Yes, harm can be done over the phone. Just what ticks me off in this case is that if these 'funny' radio presentators did even for one split second were aware of what harm could be done?

Yes, before composing this entry I did listen to this interview (I had not intentions to do so but a writer does his/her research)and the moment that they called it the eassiest phone prank ever I was tempted to turn it off. No, I don't have a solution for what went on in Sydney. All I find out now is that this had devestating consequences in the UK. On top of that chances are likely it will have consequences for many of us. I just wonder if Mel&Micheal will be LOL when they won't be able to find out how one of their next of kin is holding up in hospital. Not funny? Well perhaps it is wise to keep in mind that there is a thin line between humor and seriousness even when you are on the phone...

P.S.: My other significant one being a doctor is very upset by all of this and can't even a listen a 2nd time to this 'notorious' interview. He thinks that many will end up being a victim of what happened. One newspaper who published this news their readers awarded this news with the label 'depressing'. So over 78% considers this then also as the ultimate bad joke...

P.S.: I had not such an easy time picking some fitting music for this entry... because it is not such 'positive' one... but besides laughing also music has got some healing power. So I picked out these a more upbeat numbers because I do wish to end with a smile, a genuine one and hopefully you don't get me wrong....;-)

And this is a 'prank call' that the other signficant one and me can make me LOL.
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